“A partnering deal with a bigger pharma company would certainly help us through [the Phase 3] process,” explains Jeff Davidson, CEO of Keystone Nano, a company that develops nanoparticles that target solid tumors by going after cancer cells and leaving the normal cells intact.

According to Victoria DiBiaso, global head of clinical operations strategy and collaboration at Sanofi, “When it comes to improving trials, you have to look at protocol optimization. For us, that is where it all begins.

According to Anne White, Lilly’s VP of next generation development and project management, for the past three years the company has steadily worked toward finding a way to get its medicines to patients faster.